Question about Astrophotography with SL3 and APO SL Lenses

[Dr. G]

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I'm going to be in the Caribbean next week and there should be some good opportunities to take night sky photos - which I've never done.  If I'm using the 21 APO SL, what is the best way to focus, MF and just use the top screen until it says infinity?  Or is AF going to lock on better than I can manually using the rear screen or EVF?

[keeping_a_balance]

I am a complete n00b with Astro, but when I did with my SL2S, it was MF, point to a bright star, zoom in with magnification and manually focus as best you can.  Doubt Af will work well...

Good luck and have fun.

[jpark114]

I did several milkyway shots before.  21mm is more than enough, F2 is no problem.  

You always do MF, and you use live view or EVF, enlarge as much as you can then focus to the star to achieve best focus.  You don't use AF.

[jiggyb21]

To add to what has already been said, once you magnify on a very bright star, rotate the zoom ring back-and-forth until said star is as small as possible. As you rotate, you’ll see the star pulse bigger and smaller, bigger and smaller and just try to land on where it’s smallest. It won’t necessarily look “sharp“ in the viewfinder. Then review the image and magnify again. At that point it is rather obvious if you nailed focus. Don’t rely on the infinity mark on your lens. 

[Postelnikov]

7 hours ago, jpark114 said:

I did several milkyway shots before.  21mm is more than enough, F2 is no problem.  

You always do MF, and you use live view or EVF, enlarge as much as you can then focus to the star to achieve best focus.  You don't use AF.

 

5 hours ago, jiggyb21 said:

To add to what has already been said, once you magnify on a very bright star, rotate the zoom ring back-and-forth until said star is as small as possible. As you rotate, you’ll see the star pulse bigger and smaller, bigger and smaller and just try to land on where it’s smallest. It won’t necessarily look “sharp“ in the viewfinder. Then review the image and magnify again. At that point it is rather obvious if you nailed focus. Don’t rely on the infinity mark on your lens. 

This is just great advices. Please use it.

What jiggyb21 said is the best advice. For focus use enhanced live view feature.  

Also, try to find the right settings. Aperture priority is not the best here. You need to limit yourself to a 10-15 second exposure (20 max, but you will see star trails after). Don’t be too afraid; ISO 6400 will work great for SL3 or SL2-S (SL2 okay as well). For 21 Apo 3200 and lower should work as well. Try to find a good background or just concentrate on the Milky Way. The 21 SL APO is a superb lens. But with SL3, I was quite okay even with 16-35. Also, don’t be afraid of pano (but with a good tripod). And if you have the opportunity, find a flashlight with red light (at least apple watch or smartphone screen). If you need adjustment with a tripod, it is better not to light yourself with bright light, as after white light, we need 30 minutes at least to adapt to adapt to the dark.  

 

 

here is a link of video from Colin, great photographer. I had a pleasure to make a few photos with him. And he helped me a lot to understand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWf4l76JsXI

 

 

https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/390958-leica-sl3-image-thread-please-post-your-images-here/?do=findComment&comment=5226611

 

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Edited January 10 by Postelnikov

[helged]

Another tip: If you put the (bright) star that you chose to focus on about 1/3 off the image centre, you will minimise field curvature problems towards edges/boarders. Not a problem with SL21, but certainly something that helps with other lenses. Once the focus point is set, don't touch the focus ring! And if you shoot for a long-ish time, refocus now and then. Enjoy! 

[Dr. G]

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Thanks for the advice.  I assume that once I get focus it may be better to use the Fotos app to set shutter speed and trigger the shutter release to avoid touching the camera?

[gbealnz]

I've been taking astro pics for ages, more lately with a dedicated cooled camera, but recently tried the SL2 I have and a 50mm lens. It's amazing how the dedicated camera has spoiled me. The one thing I missed with the SL2 is the flippy screen, lying on your back trying the focus on the (fixed) screen isn't fun.

The advice above re focus magnification is sound. 

[Postelnikov]

11 minutes ago, Dr. G said:

Thanks for the advice.  I assume that once I get focus it may be better to use the Fotos app to set shutter speed and trigger the shutter release to avoid touching the camera?

You can, nothing bad about it, except light and hardness to do that. Easier just to use timer shutter delay. That why we have 2 seconds shutter delay, it is quick but reliable function. 

[lightsourcekauai]

May want to check PhotoPills app or another stargazing app as winter in the northern hemisphere is not the best time to photograph the Milky Way. But I have never been to the Caribbean so I do not know for sure. Regardless if you are going to be photographing the Night Sky you will eventually want an app of some kind to help you plan and maximize your time out there. With the APO 21, I am able to use AF with back button focus enabled (focus removed from the shutter button). If you try to use AF, point at the brightest star or even a bright light that is very far away. Then recompose and take the pic. I use remote shutter release cable, but the 2 second timer delay is good, too. Generally the 21 APO is able to find focus, but if it cannot then the above methods for manual focus are spot on. Infinity is too finicky, and as noted previously, should not be relied on as several variables can affect true focus at “infinity”.

Use a red light on your headlamp or flashlight, especially if others are around, as this does not interfere with others night vision and is also less likely to affect the exposure of someone’s shot. You’ll be surprised how quickly a headlamp can ruin a shot and the vibe. 
Good luck 👍 

[beewee]

I normally use MF mode, half-press the shutter and turn the focus ring and adjust using the depth of field shown on the top LCD. Make sure your rear focus point is at infinity. Take a shot to confirm focus and keep your shutter speed below 8s. Ideally below 5s to avoid smearing of stars. I normally use a 2 second shutter delay on a sturdy tripod and get good results.

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